Rutabaga texture?

Monita is a recipe tester for Food52.

added 7 months ago

The texture of cooked rutabagas are similar to turnips or even parsnips. They should be fork tender. Best to roast them cut into 3/4" or 1/2" cubes. If cut that size and roasted in a 400 degree oven, they should be done within 40 minutes

• 0 People think this is an excellent answer
• Reply
• Flag this answer for inappropriate content

Funny, I did cut in in cubes that size and even started everything at 450 (brought it down to 400 after about 20 minutes. I cooked them for even longer than forty minutes (the butterflied bird cooked in about 45 minutes, plus I left the vegetables in the oven for another twenty while the bird rested b/c the rutabaga didn't seem done). There were parsnips in there too which cooked up just fine. I don't know quite what to make of this...

• 0 People think this is an excellent answer
• Reply
• Flag this answer for inappropriate content

Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.

added 7 months ago

You know, I've actually had that happen too, where my rutabaga just wouldn't get tender. Monita is right, they should be fork tender, like roasted parsnip or beet pieces, but the cooking time seems to vary a bit from rutabaga to rutabaga, even if you cut the pieces the same size!

• 0 People think this is an excellent answer
• Flag this answer for inappropriate content

Monita is a recipe tester for Food52.

added 7 months ago

Part of the problem could be the freshness of the rutabaga. An older vegetable may be tougher; take longer to get tender. This is true for most root vegetables

• 1 Person thinks this is an excellent answer
• Reply
• Flag this answer for inappropriate content

Yes, I wondered about the freshness question. I guess I'll just have to try again another time and see what happens. Thanks for your input!

• 0 People think this is an excellent answer
• Reply
• Flag this answer for inappropriate content